Cynis Tata Ba

Basic Information

Name: Cynis Tata Ba
Type: Dragon-Blooded Exalt
Player: Jonny
Aspect: Wood Aspect
Concept: Broker and Criminal
Anima: As his anima builds, Crab legs consistently clapping there legs and a bright light shows when they hit
Age of Exultation: 11
Actual Age: 29
Languages Spoken: High Realm (Native), Low Realm, Old Realm, Riverspeak
Primary Virtue: Ambition
Secondary Virtue: Wonder
Likes: Crabs, Auctioning, Exploring rare artifacts, Partying, Pale Ales, Smokes, Pepperoni, The feeling of being glorious
Dislikes: Violence, People Who Hate His Artifacts
Mawitogan: Character Sheet

Background

He was born to one of the most respected bloodlines, in one of the most prestigious Great Houses of The Scarlet Dynasty. His great uncle Tepet Arada was the Grand General of The Tepet Legions and one of the most respected Generals in all The Empire. His older cousin and playmate, Tepet Ejava The Roseblack, would soon become an young ascendant general. Meanwhile, he did not share many of the virtues and interests that his fellow family members valued. Despite obvious intellect, his study of The Thousand Correct actions was lacking and he tended to idolize artificers, geomancers, and sorcerers above generals and warriors. He studied immaculate texts, arcane lore, and Shogunate Era history, but always with a questioning nature that bordered on heretical. The grueling social pressures of primary school were not easy on him, but he exalted young and returned even more aloof than before. Relieved of the pressure of exalting at least made his remaining primary school years easier, as his family and mentors were more willing to take a wait and see approach if he would come around. However, his position as a blacksheep in House Tepet was cemented when he convinced his mother to enroll him at The Heptagram instead of The House of Bells by convincing her he'd be more of an embarrassment showing his disinterest and inadequacies there than by training at The Heptagram. Worse yet, when he arrived at The Heptagram he did not take immediately to the secondary academy's unique teaching methods pushing him to the brink of failing out of the school by being unable to master the necessary discipline of The Heptagrams sorcerous shaping methods.

Despite his struggles in the classroom, he had come under the tutelage of Zadaki Twelve-Feathers, a teacher at The Heptagram who was once an outcaste from the far North who, rumor has it, once held an advancing Imperial legion at a mountain pass for a season, calling down avalanches from nowhere. Rumors disagree on how Zadaki was bested or convinced to surrender, let alone how she came to teach at the Heptagram. She is the only Realm sorcerer known to practice the nigh-forgotten Aria of Emptiness, shaping sorcery with nothing but her perfectly trained voice that even her favorite students are not taught the secret of. Zadaki advised Mawitogan to leave the school and undergo a personal journey of enlightenment and that until he found that within himself, he would be unable to harness his power and shape essence as he desired. Together they planned for Mawitogan to spend the month of Ascendant Air, the coldes on The Blessed Isle, in Tepet’s famed spiritual wood, The Vale of Reverie. A nearly untouched woodland still ruled by spirits and elementals, his journey would either bring him the enlightenment he sought or disgrace and possibly death. By the time he emerged everything about his life had changed.

Stranded and alone in the elemental wood was unlike anything he had experienced previously in his life. While he had made short visits in his youth he quickly learned the terrain and spirits of the wood were much more difficult to navigate on his own. When compounded with a cold and violent storm he was desperate to find refuge and found it from an unlikely source. The Great Venerable White Bear, Master of the Omphalos and Lesser Elemental Dragon the Wind Master of the Center Direction presented himself to the young exalt and offered his assistance. He and The Great Bear made a pact amongst themselves, and he received not only shelter from the storm, but enlightenment and elemental power. What The Great Bear received he prefers not to tell. When he walked out of The Vale of Reverie imbued with newfound elemental power and enlightenment he was met with the horrific news of The Battle of Futile Blood. The Tepet Legions, led in the field by his esteemed Great Uncle, were defeated by The Anathema The Bull in the North devastating not only the honor and prestige of House Tepet, but seeing the death of a full quarter of his fellow Dragon-Blooded scions. Everything changed about the second half of his secondary education at The Heptagram. Suddenly a sorcerer with a new, different path to walk he hit his stride by embracing his elemental empowerment. On the other hand, outside of The Heptagram House Tepet was collapsing in on itself without the power and prestige of their Legions.

A hasty betrothal was made between him and a scion from House Nellens who he hadn't met before making a brief appearance at her graduation banquet from The Spiral Academy. Obviously a pure business transaction between House elders, Tepet is seeking any means it can to prevent a financial collapse while trying to scrounge together funds to rebuild it's legion. Meanwhile, Nellens is always seeking means to improve the quality of their bloodline while also boosting the long term prospects of an enemy of one of their enemies, if not helping a direct ally. Neither scion is in a rush to set a date for their marriage as they each seek to start their own careers. Meanwhile, his beloved cousin Tepet Ejava, The Roseblack has convinced her younger estranged cousin to serve her in The Vermillion Legion. After a relatively short service on The Blessed Isle as their one and only Yambushi, Tepet Ejava sent him to travel to The North. There he must discover what traps his House fell into that led to their defeat, and ensure that when it is their time for revenge it is their enemies who suffer and not his brethren.

Virtues Major Virtue: Justice Secondary Virtue: Wonder

Intimacies Major principle: The right of The Dragon Blood to Rule Creation is divine, The Realm is not. Major principle: The Anathema stand against the natural order of Creation and need be rooted out wherever they sink their rotting claws. Minor principle: As our enemies grow, we must find new sources of power to counter them. Either allies of ancient lore. Major tie: The Bull of The North (Hatred) Major tie: The Roseblack (Loyalty) Minor tie: House Tepet (Familial Fondness) Minor tie: The Shogunate (Nostalgic Reverence)

Merits

Artifact - 4

Mantle of Elemental Empowerment - An artifact Reinforced Buff Jacket (Medium Artifact Armor) - Lined with the fur of Huraka Elementals and jade & feathersteel chain mail underneath.

• Soak: +4
• Hardness: +1
• Mobility Penalty: -1
• Tags: Artifact
• Resonate: The Exalt who dons the Mantle is known and respected in the Spirit Courts of Creation. The sorcerer doubles 9’s during ventures to summon or bind Elementals and on social rolls made against elementals. They may spend 1 mote or 1 anima when they roll a social action against such beings or asserts Resolve against them, they benefit from non-charm bonus dice equal to their essence to a roll or half-rounded up to Resolve.
• Essence 1: Essence Lens The wearer may spend 1 additional mote when channeling essence into a direct decisive attack add Essence or 2, whichever is higher, successes to the damage roll. (Such as Glorious Exalted Bolt)
• Essence 2:
• Essence 3:
• Essence 4:

Backing - The Vermillion Legion - 2

As a Dragon-Blooded Sorcerer with a personal friendship to the Legion Commander, Tepet Ejava The Roseblack, he's a respected and powerful figure in The Vermillion Legion. However, he bears no significant command or standing in the formal fighting division of the Legion. Instead, he is the legion's only Yamabushi, a spirit ambassador that travels ahead of the Legion to secure alliances with local gods ands spirits and ensure The Legion arrives to a favorable station.

Influence - House Tepet - 1

Mawitogan is still relatively young and he's always been an outcaste in his own House, add in his eccentricities as a sorcerer and his lack of pull even in the weakened House Tepet should not come as a surprise.

Followers - 1

Mawitogan travels with a small band of acolytes who are directly loyal to himself, rather than soldiers within The Vermillion Legion. They predominately assist him in rituals, prayers, performances, and offerings to local gods and spirits as well as the bureaucratic necessities in the locales he travels to.

Resources - 2

Mawitogan receives a stipend from House Tepet as well as a salary for his position in The Vermillion Legion, however both of those organizations are bordering on bankrupt so he's less well funded than the average dynast in his position. He is not overly concerned with the glamour of wealth, however a lack of funds is occasionally inconvenient.